


Cryin' in the rain

by CupOfEarleGrey



Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Anxiety, Black Widow Courier, Drabble, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Mild Sexual Content, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:55:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29007150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CupOfEarleGrey/pseuds/CupOfEarleGrey
Summary: Swank is hard at work in his office when he sees something to remind him of Ruth. A wave of longing washes over him and he takes a moment to think about how much he misses her.
Relationships: Female Courier/Swank
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Cryin' in the rain

Swank squinted down at the handwritten report. Reading the tiny, scratchy letters was like sticking microscopic needles in his eyes. He was working too hard, and getting far too little sleep. He sighed, setting the paper down on his desk and squeezing his eyes shut. The darkness was a welcome reprieve.

He sat there for a few seconds, letting himself breathe. If only he could catch a break. All this work and no play. It was wearing him out. Now Benny was gone, it was all on his shoulders too. No one else to blame if things went wrong.

He opened his eyes again, letting them roam absently around his office. They landed on the drinks cabinet, and he saw it there. Her favourite drinking glass.

A wave of longing washed over him all at once. He could see her in his mind's eye, smiling at him the way she always did. Like he was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen. All his tension seemed to slip away. There was nothing he couldn't do when she was around.

Except she wasn't around. She'd been gone for a while now. Off someplace in the Mojave doing God knows what. The warmth in his chest changed, growing anxious at the thought. He knew she could handle herself. She could talk or shoot her way out of anything, he didn't doubt it.

But he couldn't help worrying about her. The thought of never seeing her again… it was unbearable. He couldn't stand the waiting. The not knowing. The uncertainty. It drove him half crazy if he let himself dwell on it too much. That's why he was burying himself in work. Better to drown in that than useless anxiety.

She would come back eventually. The same way she always did. Like she never left. She would find him in the lobby, or his office, and wrap her arms around him, whispering about how much she missed him. And he would squeeze her closer, feel her warmth all around him and tell her he loved her. Finally letting himself feel the longing.

He hoped it would be soon. He was getting tired of getting into bed alone, wishing she was there. Then waking up in the morning with no excuse nor desire to lie in. He hated those quiet moments. It's when he missed her the most. Especially when he started to ache with a more primal need than sleep.

His fingers traced the scratches on his desk. Little scores in the veneer carved by her nails one night. The memory of her bent over it flashed unbidden in his mind, sending another surge of longing through his veins.

It pained him to love a woman like her. One he couldn't tie down. There was nothing he could promise her to make her stay with him, and it ate him up inside. Usually he stayed away from women like that. Never worth the headache. But she was.

Oh, she was an oasis in the desert to him. And she always came back. As long as she did, he was happy. He didn't care who she hurt or killed or even slept with, so long as she tells him he's hers. He's content. Even if it means crying in the rain when she's gone.

At least, that's what he tells himself.

A sharp knock on the door, followed by Tommy walking in, snapped him out of it.

"Hey, boss. I thought I should let you know, the cats back in town. Looks like she's swinging over this way."

And suddenly everything was right in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think!


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